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Salles BM, Fadel JV, Mograbi DC. Moderate similarity leads to empathic concern, but high similarity can also induce personal distress towards others' pain. Psych J 2024; 13:322-334. [PMID: 38105597 PMCID: PMC10990819 DOI: 10.1002/pchj.720] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/02/2023] [Accepted: 11/16/2023] [Indexed: 12/19/2023]
Abstract
Empathic concern and personal distress are common vicarious emotional responses that arise when witnessing someone else's pain. However, the influence of perceived similarity on these responses remains unclear. In this study, we examined how perceived similarity with an injured target impacts vicarious emotional responses. A total of 87 participants watched a video of an athlete in pain preceded by a clip describing the athlete's trajectory, which indicated either high, moderate, or low similarity to the participants. Emotional self-reports, facial expressions, gaze behavior, and pupil diameter were measured as indicators of the participants' emotional responses. Participants in the moderate- and high-similarity groups exhibited greater empathic concern, as evidenced by their display of more sadness compared with those in the low-similarity group. Furthermore, those in the moderate-similarity group exhibited less avoidance by displaying reduced disgust, indicating lower personal distress compared with those in the low-similarity condition. Nevertheless, the high-similarity group displayed just as much disgust as the low-similarity group. These findings suggest that perceived similarity enhances empathic concern to others' suffering, but that high similarity can also lead to personal distress. Future studies on empathy should explore distinct vicarious states using multimodal measurements to further advance our understanding of these processes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bruno M. Salles
- Department of PsychologyPontifical Catholic University of Rio de Janeiro (PUC‐Rio)Rio de JaneiroBrazil
| | - João V. Fadel
- Department of PsychologyPontifical Catholic University of Rio de Janeiro (PUC‐Rio)Rio de JaneiroBrazil
| | - Daniel C. Mograbi
- Department of PsychologyPontifical Catholic University of Rio de Janeiro (PUC‐Rio)Rio de JaneiroBrazil
- Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and NeuroscienceKing's College LondonLondonUK
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Bordoni B, Escher AR. Motor Dysfunctions in Fibromyalgia Patients: The Importance of Breathing. Open Access Rheumatol 2024; 16:55-66. [PMID: 38476512 PMCID: PMC10929242 DOI: 10.2147/oarrr.s442327] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/27/2023] [Accepted: 02/03/2024] [Indexed: 03/14/2024] Open
Abstract
The classification of fibromyalgia (FM) is not always immediate and simple, with the time from the first diagnosis, compared to the onset of symptoms, of a few years. Currently, we do not have instrumental or biochemical tests considered as gold standards; the clinician will make a diagnosis of FM based on the patient's medical history and subjective assessment. The symptoms can involve physical, cognitive and psychological disorders, with the presence of pain of different origins and classifications: nociplastic, nociceptive and neuropathic pain. Among the symptoms highlighted, postural disorders and neuromotor uncoordination emerge, whose functional dysfunctions can increase the mortality and morbidity rate. An alteration of the diaphragm muscle could generate such functional motor problems. Considering that the current literature underestimates the importance of breathing in FM, the article aims to highlight the relationship between motor and diaphragmatic difficulties in the patient, soliciting new points of view for the clinical and therapeutic framework.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bruno Bordoni
- Dipartimento di Cardiologia, Fondazione Don Carlo Gnocchi IRCCS, Istituto di Ricovero e Cura, S Maria Nascente, Milano, 20100, Italia
| | - Allan R Escher
- Anesthesiology/Pain Medicine, H. Lee Moffitt Cancer Center and Research Institute, Tampa, FL, 33612, USA
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Pang C, Zhou Y, Han S. Temporal Unfolding of Racial Ingroup Bias in Neural Responses to Perceived Dynamic Pain in Others. Neurosci Bull 2024; 40:157-170. [PMID: 37635197 PMCID: PMC10838865 DOI: 10.1007/s12264-023-01102-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/18/2023] [Accepted: 06/13/2023] [Indexed: 08/29/2023] Open
Abstract
In this study, we investigated how empathic neural responses unfold over time in different empathy networks when viewing same-race and other-race individuals in dynamic painful conditions. We recorded magnetoencephalography signals from Chinese adults when viewing video clips showing a dynamic painful (or non-painful) stimulation to Asian and White models' faces to trigger painful (or neutral) expressions. We found that perceived dynamic pain in Asian models modulated neural activities in the visual cortex at 100 ms-200 ms, in the orbitofrontal and subgenual anterior cingulate cortices at 150 ms-200 ms, in the anterior cingulate cortex around 250 ms-350 ms, and in the temporoparietal junction and middle temporal gyrus around 600 ms after video onset. Perceived dynamic pain in White models modulated activities in the visual, anterior cingulate, and primary sensory cortices after 500 ms. Our findings unraveled earlier dynamic activities in multiple neural circuits in response to same-race (vs other-race) individuals in dynamic painful situations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chenyu Pang
- School of Psychological and Cognitive Sciences, PKU-IDG/McGovern Institute for Brain Research, Beijing Key Laboratory of Behavior and Mental Health, Peking University, Beijing, 100081, China
| | - Yuqing Zhou
- CAS Key Laboratory of Behavioral Science, Institute of Psychology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100101, China
- Department of Psychology, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100049, China
| | - Shihui Han
- School of Psychological and Cognitive Sciences, PKU-IDG/McGovern Institute for Brain Research, Beijing Key Laboratory of Behavior and Mental Health, Peking University, Beijing, 100081, China.
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Pan Z, Zhang C, Su W, Qi X, Feng X, Gao L, Xu X, Liu J. Relationship between individual differences in pain empathy and task- and resting-state EEG. Neuroimage 2023; 284:120452. [PMID: 37949258 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2023.120452] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/15/2023] [Revised: 11/06/2023] [Accepted: 11/07/2023] [Indexed: 11/12/2023] Open
Abstract
Pain empathy is a complex form of psychological inference that enables us to understand how others feel in the context of pain. Since pain empathy may be grounded in our own pain experiences, it exhibits huge inter-individual variability. However, the neural mechanisms behind the individual differences in pain empathy and its association with pain perception are still poorly understood. In this study, we aimed to characterize brain mechanisms associated with individual differences in pain empathy in adult participants (n = 24). The 32-channel electroencephalography (EEG) was recorded at rest and during a pain empathy task, and participants viewed static visual stimuli of the limbs submitted to painful and nonpainful stimulation to solicit empathy. The pain sensitivity of each participant was measured using a series of direct current stimulations. In our results, the N2 of Fz and the LPP of P3 and P4 were affected by painful pictures. We found that both delta and alpha bands in the frontal and parietal cortex were involved in the regulation of pain empathy. For the delta band, a close relationship was found between average power, either in the resting or task state, and individual differences in pain empathy. It suggested that the spectral power in Fz's delta band may reflect subjective pain empathy across individuals. For the alpha band, the functional connectivity between Fz and P3 under painful picture stimulation was correlated to individuals' pain sensitivity. It indicated that the alpha band may reflect individual differences in pain sensitivity and be involved in pain empathy processing. Our results suggested the distinct role of the delta and alpha bands of EEG signals in pain empathy processing and may deepen our understanding of the neural mechanisms underpinning pain empathy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zhiqiang Pan
- Xi'an Key Laboratory of Intelligent Sensing and Regulation of trans-Scale Life Information, School of Life Science and Technology, Xidian University, Xi'an, Shaanxi, China
| | - Chuan Zhang
- Department of Radiology, Affiliated Hospital of North Sichuan Medical College, Sichuan 637000, PR China
| | - Wenjie Su
- Xi'an Key Laboratory of Intelligent Sensing and Regulation of trans-Scale Life Information, School of Life Science and Technology, Xidian University, Xi'an, Shaanxi, China
| | - Xingang Qi
- Xi'an Key Laboratory of Intelligent Sensing and Regulation of trans-Scale Life Information, School of Life Science and Technology, Xidian University, Xi'an, Shaanxi, China
| | - Xinyue Feng
- Xi'an Key Laboratory of Intelligent Sensing and Regulation of trans-Scale Life Information, School of Life Science and Technology, Xidian University, Xi'an, Shaanxi, China
| | - Lanqi Gao
- Xi'an Key Laboratory of Intelligent Sensing and Regulation of trans-Scale Life Information, School of Life Science and Technology, Xidian University, Xi'an, Shaanxi, China
| | - Xiaoxue Xu
- Department of Radiology, Affiliated Hospital of North Sichuan Medical College, Sichuan 637000, PR China.
| | - Jixin Liu
- Xi'an Key Laboratory of Intelligent Sensing and Regulation of trans-Scale Life Information, School of Life Science and Technology, Xidian University, Xi'an, Shaanxi, China.
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Liu Y, Zhang C, Li M, Gao Y, Wang Y, Liu X, Li J. Exploring specific associations of childhood maltreatment with social cognition in drug-naive first-episode major depressive disorder: a sex-centric approach. Eur Arch Psychiatry Clin Neurosci 2023:10.1007/s00406-023-01723-6. [PMID: 38038762 DOI: 10.1007/s00406-023-01723-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/12/2023] [Accepted: 11/04/2023] [Indexed: 12/02/2023]
Abstract
Childhood maltreatment (CM) has been linked to social cognition deficits in major depressive disorder (MDD), but little is known about sex-specific effects. This study aimed to investigate the sex-specific associations of CM with social cognition in first-episode drug-naive patients with MDD. A total of 117 first-episode drug-naive patients with MDD and 134 healthy controls (HCs) were recruited and assessed for demographic and clinical characteristics. All participants completed the Childhood Trauma Questionnaire (CTQ), Toronto Alexithymia Scale (TAS-20), Interpersonal Reactivity Index-C (IRI), and Facial Emotion Recognition Test. Partial correlation analysis was used to explore the sex-specific association of CM with social cognition. Our findings revealed significant differences in the associations of CM with social cognition between males and females in MDD patients. In comparison to HCs, the associations of CM with social cognition displayed distinct and even contrasting sex-specific patterns in MDD patients. Specifically, male MDD patients exhibited unique imbalanced associations between emotional neglect and alexithymia, while both female and male MDD patients shared imbalanced associations of childhood abuse with empathy. These results emphasize the importance of considering the sex-specific associations of CM with social cognition in MDD and highlight the need for personalized interventions and treatments based on sex for MDD patients with a history of CM.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yuan Liu
- Institute of Mental Health, Tianjin Anding Hospital, Mental Health Center of Tianjin Medical University, 13 Liulin RdHexi District, Tianjin, 300222, China
| | - Chuhao Zhang
- Institute of Mental Health, Tianjin Anding Hospital, Mental Health Center of Tianjin Medical University, 13 Liulin RdHexi District, Tianjin, 300222, China
| | - Meijuan Li
- Institute of Mental Health, Tianjin Anding Hospital, Mental Health Center of Tianjin Medical University, 13 Liulin RdHexi District, Tianjin, 300222, China
| | - Ying Gao
- Institute of Mental Health, Tianjin Anding Hospital, Mental Health Center of Tianjin Medical University, 13 Liulin RdHexi District, Tianjin, 300222, China
| | - Yuting Wang
- Institute of Mental Health, Tianjin Anding Hospital, Mental Health Center of Tianjin Medical University, 13 Liulin RdHexi District, Tianjin, 300222, China
| | - Xueying Liu
- Institute of Mental Health, Tianjin Anding Hospital, Mental Health Center of Tianjin Medical University, 13 Liulin RdHexi District, Tianjin, 300222, China
| | - Jie Li
- Institute of Mental Health, Tianjin Anding Hospital, Mental Health Center of Tianjin Medical University, 13 Liulin RdHexi District, Tianjin, 300222, China.
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